Cronin's debut, The One Hundred Years of Lenni & Margot, was a favorite the year it came out, so I was excited to have the opportunity to read her sophomore novel before publication. 90-year-old Eddie Winston has never been kissed. When 25-year-old Bella donates her dead boyfriend's things to the charity shop where Eddie works, the two become friends. Eddie helps Bella's heart heal, and Bella is determined to help Eddie get on the dating scene as he pines for his lost love from 60 years prior. I really enjoyed this book; Cronin is an expert at writing the multigenerational friendship story I so loved between Lenni & Margot, which we find again here. There were a few side storylines that felt unresolved and unnecessary, but overall I loved this.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free review ARC.

Such a good story!

I absolutely loved this book. Eddie Winston is a sweet old gentleman, working in a charity shop in Birmingham, UK. He "saves" personal items that he finds within donations, maybe letters, photos, even painted sneakers once. He takes them home and cares for them until their owner (or loved ones) return to the shop asking if the items had maybe been found, then he reunites the two. One such item, the painted sneakers, leads to a conversation with Bella, a young woman who recently lose her fiancee.

An unlikely friendship begins between Bella and Eddie. They eat lunch together nearly every day and share more than sandwiches. Little by little, they learn about each other's lives, hopes, dreams and losses, and together they help each other heal.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

"𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘶𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨?"

If you're looking for the perfect book to round out your 2024 reading, pick up 𝗘𝗗𝗗𝗜𝗘 𝗪𝗜𝗡𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗡 𝗜𝗦 𝗟𝗢𝗢𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘.

Marianne Cronin made me reach for the tissues with her last book 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘏𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘓𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘪 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘰𝘵 and this one is just as touching. Eddie Winston is 90 years old and has never been kissed. When he meets Bella, a young woman who's grieving the love of her life, they embark on an adventure that helps her heal and proves that it's never too late to find your soulmate.

This one has it all - a quirky geriatric main character, a beautiful intergenerational friendship, wonderful secondary characters and a guinea pig named Pushkin. It will make you smile and touch your heart.

Thanks to Harper Perennial for the copy to review.

4.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. Eddie Winston is 90 years old and working in a charity shop. He's lived a full life but has never had his first kiss. As Eddie sorts through the items donated he'll take things home of no monetary value but of high value to the person donating them. He believes they need a bit of time and will come back looking for them. This is how he meets 20-something Bella as she comes back for some special items she's donated. A friendship develops and when she finds out that Eddie has never had his first kiss, she's dedicated to helping him. This is a wonderfully told story and another one that has characters from different generations finding commonalities and friendship. It is told through flashbacks in time in alternating chapters as we learn of Eddie and Bella's lives. It was a definite page-turner and I would highly recommend it for a feel-good, big-hearted read.

Marianne Cronin is a wizard at writing uplifting books that feel like a warm hug. I absolutely adored The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot and was thrilled to get a chance to read this advanced reader copy.

A heart-warming story with themes of lost love, found family, and how it’s never too late for a second chance.

Eddie is ninety and has never been kissed. Bella is twenty-four and has lost the love of her life. They meet when she drops off her boyfriend’s effects at the charity shop where Eddie works. Despite the huge gap in their ages, Eddie and Bella become an unlikely pair of friends, changing each of their lives for the better.

I laughed, cried, and became so invested in their stories. I miss these characters already, and I know Eddie, Bella, and Birdie will stay in my heart forever.

Add this charming story to your TBR, I promise you’ll thank me for it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for this Advanced Reader Copy. All opinions are my own.

Reviews to be posted on Goodreads, Instagram and Amazon.com on pub day.

Eddie Winston stole my heart. He’s a 90-year-old man who loves big, laughs hard, and enjoys every moment of life—even though he’s never had his first kiss. I couldn’t get enough of him, Bella, Marjie, and the rest of this incredible cast of characters. I wanted to share lunch with them, work alongside Eddie in the charity shop, and live and laugh right there with them.

While this book is full of humor and fun, it also holds a deeper layer of heartache, grief, and longing. Eddie’s love for Birdie—a married woman he lost years ago—is both tender and bittersweet. Even though life took them in different directions, Eddie never let go of “her heart.”

This is one of those rare, special books that stays with you. It’s heartwarming, touching, and an absolute joy to read.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Harper publishers for the eARC of Eddie Winston is Looking for Love in exchange for my honest review.

“Life is all about timing, in the end.”

Eddie Winston is 90 years old and still waiting to experience his first kiss. That doesn’t mean he hasn’t loved. In fact, he has loved so deeply and so completely that he’s spent almost his entire life thinking about the one who got away.

Bella is reeling from the loss of her one true love. Eddie’s opposite - she is young and sports pink hair and Doc Martens - they strike up an unlikely friendship when she donates her dead boyfriend’s belongings to the charity shop where Eddie works.

Together they set out to give Eddie the unforgettable feeling that accompanies the first kiss.

EDDIE WINSTON IS LOOKING FOR LOVE checks all my boxes: elderly (my first nonagenarian) main character, found family, inter generational friendship, and a story that tugs at the heartstrings. The book unfolds slowly and requires patience as it meanders through memories and the present day. There are underlying messages of hope in the face of profound grief, the importance of connection, and a reminder that it’s never too late to chase a dream. Marianne Cronin has an incredible talent and ability to write stories that speak directly to the heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for the advance copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

Eddie, a 90 year old retired university lecturer, volunteers at a charity shop where he safeguards items he feels
the donor may regret giving up. He connects with 24 year old Bella who is donating possessions of her deceased
love Jake. The two form a friendship, with Bella determined to help Eddie find someone to experience his first kiss.
Eddie helps Bella deal with Jake's passing and moving on. A charming delightful read.
#EddieWinstonisLookingforLove #HaperPerennial #NetGalley

“I sort through the donations made by the living and the dead and I put a price tag on the souvenirs of someone else’s life”.
The most heartwarming story about love and friendship.

Eddie is 90 years old and he's never been kissed. He spends his days volunteering at a thrift store where he sorts through all of the incoming donations (and keeps things he feels like will be missed). At the thrift store, he meets Bella. Bella just tragically lost her boyfriend. The two of them develop an uncommon friendship (with Eddie's guinea pig, Pushkin) and both find answers they're looking for.

First off, we know how much I love an older MC (Ove, Frederick Fife), and now Eddie has been added to that list. His friendship with Bella is unmatched and a beautiful representation that we can learn and grow from all people. I couldn't put this down. I loved Lennie & Margot, but I might love Bella & Eddie more.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Perennial for the ARC!!!

This was a very heartwarming story about love and loss, centered around Eddie Winston, a 90 year old man who's yet to have his first kiss. His friendship with Bella, a young woman whose boyfriend just passed away, is very sweet as she learns to grieve.

Overall, a very sweet story, worth reading just for the last couple of chapters alone ❤️

I really enjoyed Eddie Winston Is Looking for Love. I had a little trouble getting started, but soon couldn't put it down. Eddie Winston is a 90 year old retired academic who has never been kissed. He has been in love, but his honorable nature kept him from acting on his feelings. He works in a second hand shop in Great Britain, and puts a lot of thought into handling the donations that make up their inventory. He sometimes saves items that he thinks the loved ones of the deceased might regret giving up. One day, a young woman named Bella drops off her boyfriend's possessions, which include a pair of well worn tennis shoes with drawings and declarations of love, as well as notebooks and journals. Bella starts to look in the windows of the shop, and visits, and soon, she and Eddie begin eating their lunches together on an outside bench. Bella is determined to help Eddie find love, so they create an online profile for him, and he starts his quest. Their adventures take them to other points in Britain and other countries. This is a lovely book about friendship and moving on after loss. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for the advance copy ebook to review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 stars

Marianne Cronin is the master of age-gap friendships. I loved her unlikely duo of Lenni and Margot, and this pairing of Eddie and Bella is just as sweet.

This story is delightful and charming. Centered around lost loves and found family, Eddie and Bella will discover together that it's never too late to seek what your heart desires.

Eddie Winston Is Looking for Love touched me deeply and brought tears to my eyes, but it wasn't the ugly cry heartbreak of The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot, so my heart was thankful for that.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Perennial of HarperCollins for this digital Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very sweet book about an elderly man named Eddie who has never been kissed. He meets a young woman who has just lost her husband and who wants to help Eddie find a love. We flash back and forth between present day and Eddies younger years to learn how he ended up at 90 without a relationship. I found that part so heartbreaking but ultimately it’s a happy story.

This is, by far, one of the sweetest books I’ve read this year! Marianne Cronin certainly has a gift of writing feel good books with sweet characters and the best friendships!
Eddie Winston is 90 years young and has lived a wonderful life and while he has loved before he’s never been kissed nor has he kissed anyone. Having been a linguistics professor at Cambridge in his youth, he’s now spending his older years working in a thrift shop sorting through people’s old memories and rescuing the ones he believes mattered to someone. 24 year old Bella comes into the shop to drop off a box and ends up gaining a friend in Eddie. When she discovers he’s never been kissed she makes it her mission to help Eddie find the one who is meant to be his first kiss.
This is the second book of Ms. Cronin’s and it’s just as magical as The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot. Featuring a beautiful friendship many generations apart, a story that will bring tears to your eyes (but not in a heartbreaking way), and a glimpse into the past, this book is essentially a hug for your heart.
I truly hope Ms. Cronin has another book in the works because the world needs more of her writing.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for an advanced copy of this. Eddie Winston Is Looking for Love hits the shelves on December 31st.

A heartwarming book about a 90-year-old man who never got over his first love. Eddie works in a charity thrift store in England where he befriends a young woman who donates items that belonged to her recently deceased boyfriend. Their friendship forms the basis of this book that will have you cheering for Eddie.

Eddie, a 90 YO retired professor, works in a charity shop for donated items. At the shop, he meets and forms an unlikely friendship with Bella, 24, who is dealing with the death of her boyfriend whose items she has donated to the shop.

When Bella discovers that Eddie has never been kissed, the two set out on a journey to find him love —proclaiming it to never be too late. Along this journey, we hear flashbacks from Eddie about “the one who got away” Birdie, the wife of a colleague from his youth, who he has always harbored feelings for.

I won’t give any spoilers but suffice to say that Eddie, Bella and Birdie’s characters are some of my favorite bookish characters of the year. This book is the ultimate second chance love story, a master class on grief and friendship, and a blaring reminder that it is never too late to chase one’s dreams.

Keep the tissues handy because this one will have you laughing, crying and everything in between.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Eddie Winston is in his 90s and has never been kissed, that's not to say he's has never fallen in love (it was many years ago). Bella is in her 20s and just lost her husband, the only man she has ever loved or even dated - she’s lost. This unlikely pair of friends begin to have lunch together in the park and Bella decides her new mission (and a way to stop thinking so much about her husband) is to make sure Eddie finds love (or at least gets kissed).

This was such a sweet and funny book and I just loved reading it. Eddie is a quirky character who is all in for helping his new friend move forward. Reading this novel reminded me of The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife and Major Pettigrew's Last Stand - two books that I still think about a while after reading them. While May December friendship was very sweet the book never felt too saccharine for me. This was the perfect mix of platonic love with some dabbling of romance. I’ve already put Cronin’s first book on my TBR as a backlist read.

4.25 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for the ARC to review

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! I enjoyed Marianne Cronin’s first novel but this new one is even better! I fell in love with each character that was introduced. I was 100 rooting for Eddie!

🪶 Oh goodness did I love this one! Thank you so much to @harperperennial for sending me the #gifted ARC. This comes out NYE and you’re going to want to put it on your TBR’s NOW!

🪶 This is from @itsmariannecronin- the author of ‘The Hundred Years of Lenni & Margot’ and her sophomore book is just as good, if not better! It’s about another age-gap friendship and this time 90-year-old Eddie Winston has never been kissed! A cast of characters helps him along the way as he searches for love.

🪶 This is one of those books that feels like a warm hug while you read it. It’s full of pain and loss but somehow it just fills you with joy! The depth of each and every character is so expansive, yet the book is fairly short and it flies. Basically, this book packs a punch!

🪶 This is like A Man Called Ove & All The Lonely People mixed with The Collected Regrets of Clover with a dash of its own special sauce. It’s fantastic and I hope you all pick it up and love it as much as I did. Again, it’s out December 31st.

4.5 sweet stars

Eddie is 90 years young and has a heart of gold. And he’s still looking for his first kiss. He works at a thrift store and often sorts through people’s last boxes of belongings. He comes across small things, like love letters and mementos, that he takes home as they have no monetary value. A few times, he has reunited people with lost items.

This one has other wonderful characters, including the woman working with Eddie at the shop. He also develops a lovely friendship with a young woman, Bella, who has lost her boyfriend at only 24. Eddie keeps her donated box boyfriend if she returns to ask for them back. Bella is having a difficult time figuring out how to grieve, and Eddie is one of the few people she can be around.

Bella goes on a quest to find love for Eddie, and I laughed out loud at some of the dating scenes and at the thought of a senior-only dating site. There are flashback scenes of a woman that Eddie fell for when he was younger, but she was off limits. He’s also searching for a locket that she lost at one point.

And I can’t forget to mention the star of the book, Pushkin, an adorable guinea pig. He even has a chance of love in this one!

This story made my heart sing, and I thought about the family we find. I was very happy with the ending, and these characters are memorable!